Ericsson suing smartphone maker Wiko

Smartphone maker Wiko has been sued by tech-giant Ericsson for patent infringement. The case was made in the regional courts Düsseldorf and Mannheim in Germany on August 14, 2017. The patents relate to those essential for 2G, 3G and 4G cellular technology, as well as implementation patents.

It is alleged that Wiko has been infringing Ericsson’s intellectual property rights for six years without any license or compensation. According to the lawsuit, Ericsson has tried to establish a fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) license agreement with Wiko since May 2013, but attempts have been unsuccessful. As a last resort, Ericsson chose to exercise its legal rights to enforce its patents against Wiko’s infringing products.

In a statement, Gustav Brismark, Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Ericsson, says: “Global sharing of technology and open standards are the force behind the smartphone revolution and have allowed new entrants, such as Wiko, to quickly build successful businesses. This ICT eco-system only works, however, if all market players respect the basic rules of FRAND licensing. It is unfair for Wiko to benefit from our substantial R&D investment without paying a reasonable license fee for our patented technology.”

Brismark continues: “Our ambition has always been to reach a mutually fair and reasonable license agreement with Wiko, just as we do with all of our licensees.”

Ericsson has one of the industry’s strongest intellectual property portfolios, which includes more than 42,000 granted patents worldwide.